


Kid's these days...

by Sternenstaub



Series: I kid you not... [1]
Category: The Witcher (TV), Wiedźmin | The Witcher (Video Game), Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types
Genre: Because I'm puny like that, Falling In Love, First Kiss, Fluff, Found Family, Insecure Eskel, Kid Fic, M/M, Pining, Slow Burn, Sometimes a family is a witcher a bard and a goat, They're In Love Your Honor, Tired goat dad, is it slow burn if it takes them a few months but less than 10k?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-17
Updated: 2021-01-04
Packaged: 2021-03-09 20:40:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 14,223
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27602228
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sternenstaub/pseuds/Sternenstaub
Summary: Jaskier meets a witcher in Posada. What was he supposed to do when he met tired golden eyes, a kind smile and saw the witcher caring for a baby goat? Not fall in love? Impossible.OrJaskier meets Eskel in Posada and tags along. For some reason Eskel is carrying a baby goat with him.
Relationships: Eskel/Jaskier | Dandelion
Series: I kid you not... [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2051271
Comments: 144
Kudos: 379





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This will be pure fluff mostly. A second chapter is already finished and while I know exactly what's going to happen after, I hope posting will pressure me into writing it down. 
> 
> Thanks to Cookie for making sure this made any kind of sense.

The tavern in Posada was not the best place Jaskier had ever played at, it was not even in the top 25 really but bards must do what bards have to do, which was mainly singing, flirting and making coin. After he'd graduated Oxenfurt he had decided to stay in the city for some years, wanted to write and become an author just to realize that he had never seen anything else than the city walls and its citizens. His lungs had demanded to breathe in adventure. And here he was, wandering the continent alone at the age of 25, playing at a dirty tavern, getting bread thrown at his head from booing drunkards. Well, at least he'd have dinner, he thought as he stuffed some of the better looking bread into his trousers and scratched the educational ditties from his list of possible songs to perform in small seedy taverns. There was a lot he'd have to learn but Jaskier was determined to do just that.

One person however hadn't thrown bread at him or told him to screw. A burly man sat in the darkest corner of the tavern, holding a tankard that couldn't possibly still hold any liquid just to have something to grab on while nervous eyes wandered through the tavern when he wasn't seemingly talking to the bag next to him. He had dirty brown hair, shoulders that could carry a maiden on each arm, two long scars trailing from his temple to his lips and beautiful golden slitted eyes that looked like he hadn't slept in a week. He was gorgeous. Obviously a witcher if the eyes and scars hadn't already given that away, the distance all the other patrons kept and the two swords leaned at the wall would have. And Jaskier decided for reasons he refused to admit that this man needed to smile more. He sauntered over to him, trying to hide any lingering embarrassment at his horrible performance and smiled as wide as he could at the clearly nervous man.

"Love how you sit there in a corner and brood." Oh Melitele, what was he talking, his mouth was running without asking his brain for input because most of his conscious and also unconscious mind was absorbed staring at those golden eyes slitted like a cats, melting at them. The witcher turned his head, hiding part of his face in the shadow before he talked, "I'm here to drink alone." a deep rumble, like thunder rolling over the mountains or waves crashing at a cliff at night, Jaskier swallowed, worried he'd embarrass himself horribly if he didn't find some kind of composure. 

He took a deep breath, "Let me get you a drink and you can rate my performance? You were the only one who didn't throw any bread at me." Jaskier tried to go for charming and funny, smiling his most innocent smile at the stranger. "Wouldn't mind some milk." the witcher murmured, looking almost sheepish. Milk? What a strange request but Jaskier wouldn't comment, he had acted much stranger just now, so he nodded happily and ordered some warm milk and two ale, not wanting to drink all on his own.

The man looked up at him with something almost akin to gratitude when he saw the slightly steaming mug of milk as Jaskier sat down. To the bard's surprise, he didn't grab it directly, instead, after a second curious look at Jaskier, he went for the ale, taking a deep gulp and for a moment he seemed less tired and nervous. That was, until the bag next to him started to move. Jaskier tensed and was ready to jump when a small snout suddenly looked out of it. 

Watching his surroundings carefully, as if he was worried anyone would notice, the witcher met Jaskier's eyes for a moment, obviously fighting an inner battle, Jaskier tried to look as harmless and encouraging as possible. This man intrigued him greatly. The other man seemed to come to a decision and opened the bag to let a small white head emerge. A baby goat! Jaskier wanted to coo but the man obviously was worried someone would notice. The tavernkeep would probably not allow animals to stay inside, even if they were clearly newborn and fitting in a traveling bag. 

The baby goat made a tiny noise and sniffed towards the mug with milk and suddenly Jaskier understood the strange request. The witcher smiled down at the small animal, turning his face more into the light and Jaskier saw two deep scars trailing down his face. He'd noticed them before but seeing them this close really showed just how much pain they must have caused and how close he must have come to losing an eye. Jaskier swallowed, transfixed by the gentle expression on such a scarred face, how golden eyes seemed to turn Amber and a small smile played on the man's lips as he looked down at the goat. For a moment he seemed to forget to school his expression and Jaskier suddenly wanted to see this man unguarded much more often. 

Using a small bottle, the witcher fed the goat under the table while Jaskier finally found his voice again. "Would you introduce us?" Golden eyes flicked up at him, dark bags under them and Jaskier almost forgot to breathe under their intensity. It took a moment until the witcher answered, "Eskel. And this is lil bleater."  
"It's a pleasure to meet you." Jaskier knew his smile was a bit silly but this picture of this huge man caring for such a tiny goat wouldn't allow for anything else than pure adoration.

"Jaskier, aspiring famous bard, currently working on the famous part." he quipped, feeling his chest flutter at seeing the small twitch on the witcher´s mouth. "Why do you have a goat in your bag?" Eskel tensed and looked around, watching the tavern for dangers, but no patron was looking their way. "It's a long story." he yawned wide and Jaskier could see the exhaustion in his face, the dark bags under his eyes and hollow cheeks. The bard yawned in solidarity and the goat, lil bleater, made milk bubbles with its mouth. Jaskier laughed and Eskel joined in for a second until he caught himself. “I love a long story.” Jaskier fluttered his eyelashes, well aware it made him look younger and innocent. Most big men appreciated that. He wanted Eskel to stay, he hadn't met such a beautiful man in a long time and never one who probably had so many stories to tell. Eskel watched him with wide eyes, something like a blush on his cheeks. Could witcher´s blush? He wasn't sure but liked to imagine it was more than just the firelight on his skin. Eskel opened his mouth but before he could say a word the kid bleated loudly and every patron turned around to them. The barkeep approached them with a furious expression on his face. “No animals!” he shouted and Jaskier didn't miss that the human stared at Eskel for almost as long as he looked at the goat. After one last look at Jaskier with an unreadable expression Eskel stood up. "I thank you for the drinks, however, we need to go." Jaskier nodded, feeling anger and exhaustion creep up on him. Only after Eskel was gone did he remember the witcher never commented on his songs.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More softness and a bard slowly falling in love?

The next day Jaskier left Posada, unsure where to go after the reception of the last night but he'd heard of some bigger towns to the west and hoped the people there would appreciate his musical talents more. 

The day was quiet and sunny, not overly warm and perfect for traveling. 

He'd walked for maybe a few hours, the sun was high and the day still long when a sound made him swivel around. A small "bäääh" was echoing through the fields, it sounded like an animal in distress. Maybe a sheep that had lost its herd? Natural curiosity, and maybe the hope for a reward for an animal rescued, made Jaskier follow the sound down a small hill towards some trees.

The bleating got louder and soon he saw a small white animal sitting in a bramblebush, unable to escape its thorns. It looked to be a small goat and reminded Jaskier of the one he had seen with Eskel, but that couldn't be, it was unlikely they'd even traveled the same path.   
Slipping down a small hill, landing in mud with his shoes, Jaskier curled his lips but walked to the goat and freed the clearly distressed thing from the vines. He winced when he saw some thornes had drawn blood on the soft baby coat. The red drops a stark contrast on white fur. 

The kid jumped away as soon as the last thorn had been pulled out of it and ran into the woods. Without thinking Jaskier followed; after saving it, he felt responsible for the small and clearly still distressed animal.

The forest got denser around him and if not for the loud bleating, he would have lost the goat several times until Jaskier stumbled out into a clearing.   
The sun shone down on him and a soft breeze swept at his hair. It was a beautiful day and the clearing would have been a peaceful retreat if there hadn't been a half decapitated monster head lying around, an open jaw directed at his face.   
With a squeak he would later deny Jaskier scrambled back, pure instinct taking over. His heart hammered and his brain just chanted runrunrun. He tripped over a root and fell on his hands but the pain of scraped up palms did not stop him from trying to jump up again, his body ready to flee until his brain caught up with his body and realized that the danger was dead. 

With his heart beating a mile a minute, Jaskier looked around. It was carnage there, the monster had a head like a chicken as big as the torso of a man and the beak filled with sharp teeth almost as long as his fingers, the body looked kinda scaly and had long claws that could probably slice him in half. Jaskier gagged at the sight of the blood and entrails lying around, the smell was horrible, but at the same time he was fascinated, surely he could make a great song with so many details. What rhymed well with chicken?

Only when he saw a sword sticking out of a leg did Jaskier stop and think about who exactly had fought and killed this monster. He looked around but saw nobody. But whoever had fought here wouldn't have left their weapon behind.

A loud bleat to his left made him jump again, expecting a monster attack but it was just the small goat, insistently headbutting something lying under the tail of the chicken-lizard-thing. As Jaskier walked closer, he realized the kid was shoving at the legs of a man. Startled he ran closer and tried to free whoever was currently being flattened by the monster just to realize it was the very witcher he'd met the night before. Not surprising overall, Jaskier should have thought of that possibility right away, witchers did slay monsters after all.   
Turning him around, Eskel, the name was Eskel, on his back, Jaskier was relieved to find the witcher was still breathing. Some blood sluggishly ran down his chest but overall the man didn't look too hurt. A closer look showed no additional injuries besides a big lump on his head. Jaskier shook him gently but the witcher didn't stir. Afraid to do more harm than good should he move him and seeing no immediately life threatening wounds, he decided to wait. Jaskier assumed the witcher had been knocked out by the tail before the monster had fully bled out and would hopefully wake up soon. 

With a sigh Jaskier looked at the kid again, the goat looked absolutely frantic, tugging at Eskel´s trouser leg and crying in between. With hushed words he gently took the small animal into his arms. It struggled at first but as soon as he had wrapped it into a tight embrace, talking in hushed whispers to it, it seemed to settle down. Warm fur, a bit course but still surprisingly soft and clean after what it had gone through, pushed into his hands, asking for scritches once the panic subsided. The bard wondered if that was normal behaviour for an animal but he didn't exactly know how goats, or most other farm animals, behaved, so he shrugged and tried to calm the animal while they waited for Eskel to wake up. The kid closed its eyes in his lap after several minutes, falling asleep and Jaskier hummed a slow tune, watching the birds in the trees, trying to look anywhere but at the monster carcass next to them.

It took maybe an hour until the witcher, Eskel, he reminded himself, started to stirr. With a groan the man sat up and held his head, looking around disoriented. When he saw the dead monster his head swiveled to a bag that Jaskier hadn't even noticed until that point, set under a tree a few metres away. It was empty and things were strewn around. The leather looked very goat shaped for a bag. 

Eskel jumped up, unsteady on his legs and a small pained sound escaped his chest, a hand stretched out to the empty bag while his eyes searched the perimeter until he saw Jaskier, who hadn't gotten up yet so he wouldn't wake the still sleeping kid in his lap. Most of the alarm in the witcher´s eyes seemed to dissolve at the sight and Jaskier was fairly sure Eskel wasn't this happy about seeing him. He must really love this goat.

Bloody and limping the witcher approached him slowly. A wary look in his face, was he afraid Jaskier would hurt the goat or afraid the poor delicate human would run at the sight of blood? Either way, Jaskier had already decided that this was way too interesting to walk away from, so he looked up at the witcher and offered him some water. 

With a small smile and a whispered thank you Eskel took the water and the animal from Jaskier's lap, checking it closely after he noticed the blood in its fur. When Jaskier tried to ask Eskel about his wounds or offer a bandage, he was waved away, "I heal fast, bard. But I owe you for taking care of her." Eskel held the kid close, even closer when Jaskier described how and where he'd found it.

That night, Jaskier stayed close, Eskel had made camp and looked back and forth between the goat, who was once again asleep in Jaskier´s lap, and his bag that seemed to usually carry her. When Eskel had tried to take her from the bard's lap with a mumbled apology of Jaskier surely not wanting goat slobber and milk on his fine clothes, Jaskier had looked up at the witcher and mouthed “It's okay, I won't move.” 

Eskel looked at them together for a long time with an unreadable expression, golden eyes kind and wary at the same time, it made Jaskier shiver with something that was decidedly not fear, until Eskel turned around with a small knife in hand, cutting some meat apart he must have stored in his bags. When he gestured at Jaskier's bags, a silent question if they would share rations, the bard had just nodded and rocked the tiny goat while Eskel made them a meal. For some reason this small warm weight on his lap felt more significant than just any other pet he had encountered yet. But he had no words to describe the small pang in his chest he felt whenever he saw her twitch in her sleep.

While they ate dried meat and cheese Jaskier whispered many questions to the witcher, he had a myriad of them and enough time to have made a neat list in his head. The day had waned without Jaskier reaching even remotely the end of them, while Eskel´s answers, some short, some just a humm but most very insightful, had made him more curious than ever. About witchers and about this man in front of him who didn't smile but looked with such warm eyes at the tiny kid he carried with him.

They decided to camp and return to the village the next morning. Eskel was still a bit unsteady on his feet and walking around camp had been more taxing than he had expected. Also lil´ beater chewed happily on Jaskier's shirt and refused to move. 

That night Jaskier had seen first hand why Eskel looked so tired. A baby animal, it seemed, needed just as much attention as a human baby. When the goat didn't need food, she was tired or cold or rummaged through bags. Within less than an hour Eskel had jumped up three times to take something out of the kids mouth that did not belong into the stomach of a goat, 2 times fished her out of a tree nobody knew how she could have climbed up and allowed her to climb around his shoulders instead. The tiny hooves surely hurt and Jaskier could see small bruises form where the kid stepped particularly hard in her never ending joy. Eskel winced but didn't stop her until she grew tired and almost fell down. 

Jaskier looked at Eskel for permission and once that was granted took the baby into his arms, singing her a slow lullaby and she stopped stirring, Eskel looked like he might cry. Instead he gave Jaskier the bigger piece of meat they had and described the monster fight in as much detail as he could. It was a basilisk he had fought, a contract from the town they'd met in yesterday. It was apparently preying on animals and children alike. Jaskier beamed up at him, noticing the story for the grateful gesture it was, rocking the kid gently in his arms. If Eskel´s eyes looked softer for a moment there and Jaskier wished that was because of him, he wouldn't say that out loud yet.


	3. Chapter 3

Several days later they still traveled together. Thinking back, Jaskier wasn't entirely sure how he´d convinced Eskel to allow him to trail along, maybe it had been less convincing Eskel and more to do with being obstinate.   
The day after the hunt, the witcher had gotten his bags and a trophy from the monster, Jaskier had asked every question about the fight that had been burning on his tongue and without him noticing, they´d walked to the next town. 

When the alderman tried to cheat Eskel out of the agreed upon coin, Jaskier had theatrically described the fight, pulling a crowd around the house until the alderman flushed bright red and threw some extra coin at the witcher. Eskel had thanked Jaskier in a quiet voice once they were some steps away and bid him farewell. Jaskier had refused to go and cheerfully informed Eskel that he´d have a travel companion now, if he wouldn't mind. His heart had beaten a mile a minute, sure he'd be refused. The witcher had looked stunned but forgotten to reply because in that very moment the goat had screamed for more food. Eskel had chuckled, a small sound that barely moved his lips and continued on his way, not mentioning Jaskier trailing along.

They traveled for some more days, keeping watch on a kid intent to kill herself by eating leather and witcher potions at night and climbing up every available surface no living being should be able to climb just to get stuck on top and cry for help during the day. Jaskier had no clue how Eskel had ever managed to sleep or eat without him there, as it was they barely were able to relax. 

He carried a whining baby goat away from the witcher´s potion bags, an almost opened potion bottle in the other hand, which he had been explained were very deadly for small goats and humans alike, when he looked at Eskel. Those broad shoulders in the fire light, a concentrated expression as he polished his armor, golden eyes that reflected the moonlight and had never looked anything but kind, if exasperated sometimes. Jaskier wanted to hug that broad frame, wanted Eskel to smile at him but wasn't sure it would be a welcome gesture. 

So instead he took the crying kid and pushed her into Eskel´s lap, who instantly cradled her to his chest. “Tell your daughter she's a menace.” he joked.   
Golden eyes jumped up at him, a sudden tension in Eskel´s shoulder as he looked at Jaskier warily. The witcher seemed to debate something but after just a moment, before Jaskier could fully consider what he had said that made the witcher react in such a way, Eskel smiled at him, a full smile without turning his head or hiding his scars and booped lil bleater on the nose. It was a picture worthy of a huge canvas. A scarred witcher with a kind smile and a kid on his lap, a campfire in the background as the stars shone down on them. Jaskier´s stomach did a small flip. The trust he could feel in that expression, the fact that Eskel had apparently decided not to hide his face and graced him with a true smile. Jaskier wanted to memorize this feeling in a ballad.

He looked at the man who was slowly stealing his heart without even knowing it, caring for a baby goat, utterly enchanted until Eskel looked back at him with a raised eyebrow. Jaskier flushed all over, realizing he'd been staring. 

“Tell me, how did you find her?” he tried to distract. The goat was the only thing that ever got a full smile from Eskel before, the only being he didn't seem to tense around and Jaskier wanted to know very badly for entirely innocent reasons how to get the witcher to smile at him like that again.

"It's no grand adventure. Someone entrusted her to me and, well, I promised to take care of her." Eskel told him, rubbing his neck in embarrassment.   
"The valiant witcher and his kid." Jaskier smiled and was sure Eskel really did blush this time, hiding his head between his shoulders. The bard hummed a few notes, feeling a song form in his head. He wouldn't make it too obvious, would hide the pining and kindness and love behind words and rhymes, it wouldn't do for a witcher to look too soft but this feeling in his chest had to be shouted from the rooftops in some way. 

Meanwhile the baby goat tried to eat one of Eskel's sword straps, "Stop it Lill… Lil bleater." Eskel admonished her while Jaskier laughed. 

The goat tired soon and Jaskier tried to write a few more songs while he didn't need to hide his notebook from curious goat teeth but could barely stay awake. He yawned widely and noticed Eskel watching him, golden eyes reflecting the moonlight. He smiled at the witcher who looked away quickly, as if he wanted to hide the fact he had been staring. The bard chuckled, cute stupid man. He inched closer to the witcher who was sitting on his bedroll, the goat shaped bag with a deep breathing goat in it next to his head. 

“Thank you for helping me.” Eskel mumbled, almost inaudible and Jaskier scooted even closer. 

“Thank you for putting up with two loud beings taking up all your time.” Jaskier mumbled back, feeling sleepier by the minute. Their shoulders touched and Eskel tensed for a second before he seemed to relax again.

Eskel hummed thoughtfully, “No putting up, I don't think I´ve ever had so much fun being around anyone. You´re a delight Jaskier and don't let anyone tell you otherwise.”   
The bard felt his eyes tear up, this was not what so many other people had told him before. He was too much, too loud, too excitable, too touchy. Instead of answering Jaskier let his head slowly rest on Eskel´s broad shoulder.   
After a moment a warm arm wrapped around his back, carefully and slowly, as if the witcher was giving him ample time and warning to walk away. Instead Jaskier snuggled closer, pressing into the warm body next to him. They looked at the stars for some time in silence, basking in the closeness and warmth of each other until another yawn took Jaskier by force. Eskel chuckled and scooted away, “Guess we should sleep before the menace wakes up again.” It was too dark to see but Jaskier liked to imagine Eskel´s face was slightly flushed and that he smiled at him without averting his head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter there'll be a tiny reveal, I wonder if anyone can guess what it is.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I promised a reveal and that chapter is finished as well, but Eskel decided to become all introspective. So here's a fast and loose chapter from Eskel's POV. I'll post the actual next chapter today or tomorrow, as soin as I've wrangled it back to fit the pace.

They arrived at Hamm the next day and the alderman had a contract on a vampire nest for Eskel.   
After Jaskier had secured them a place at the inn, fluttering his lashes until the tavernkeep allowed the tiny goat in their room as long as they cleaned everything up, Eskel brought up their bags. 

In the room he watched these two beings who followed him willingly. One of them utterly dependent on him and the other so full of life and kindness. 

The day Eskel had met Jaskier in the tavern he´d been enchanted. Blue eyes glinting with mischief, a smile that could entrance a whole room and a voice like a nightingale. 

He'd watched this elegant man sing a truly horrible song with the sweetest voice, getting pelted with bread but taking it in stride. His face didn´t contort in rage, instead he laughed.   
When this beauty came over to his table Eskel almost forgot how to breathe as blue eyes seemed to pierce his soul and was suddenly starkly reminded of their differences. Young and unmarred skin next to his mangled face, bright blue eyes next to sickly yellow ones, hope where he was just weary.

The man chattered and smiled at him and even took Eskel´s unusual companion in stride, asking for her name, not treating her like a farm animal, it endeared him more to his heart than he would ever admit.   
Of course before they could talk, before he was allowed to bask a bit in the positive attention he so rarely got, someone got over and threw him out of the place. What had he even expected, that this night would be different? He'd probably never see the man again but the name Jaskier still planted a warm seed in his chest.

The next morning had a Basilisk waiting for him, not an easy fight, and Eskel would have vastly prefered to leave his small charge behind in safe hands but who would care for the goat a witcher put in your hands and not demand coin or worse, sell her before he came back?   
He was so tired of this life, not of living, mind you, but of being ostracized for something he had never been able to choose.

The basilisk put up a valiant fight and even after Eskel knew the monster would not survive for another day, it managed to knock the witchers head against a stone with his tail. The world turned black and Eskel´s last conscious thought was that he hoped his kid would not get eaten in the woods because he had been too slow.

When he woke up he was disoriented, his head hurt like hell and his chest felt like an ox had sat on it, or Lambert when he was being an ass. His first action was to look for his bag, the one his kid had been kept safe in, when he saw it empty, all life seemed to drain out of him again. She could have run anywhere, the woods were dangerous and his kid small and easily lost. 

He registered a heartbeat behind him and turned around faster than was comfortable for his hurting head. There, on the floor, with his charge in his lap, sat the most beautiful man and smiled up at him while humming a lullaby. The relief in his chest felt like he'd faint again right away.

He approached them slowly, worried his gruesome appearance, scarred, bloody, dirty, all predator, would scare the man or make him run away with the little bundle in his lap and looked as calm and reassuring as he had in the dark dingy tavern. He smelled like honey and pine and not once did his heartbeat accelerate in a way that called his fear out. Because surely he must be at least uneasy, sitting in a clearing with a witcher and a dead monster.

Instead the man, the bard, he remembered, offered Eskel water and to bandage his wounds, when he declined the offer, nobody wanted to touch him and he would not scare this kind soul away by seeing his scars and forcing him to touch blood and monster entrails just because he was so polite to offer it, the bard in stead hummed a soft song. 

They stayed together that night and Eskel was sure they´d part ways soon. Sure, Jaskier had a myriad of questions and while Eskel couldn´t answer them all he tried to give the man enough information for a story or two without giving away any secrets. He wanted Jaskier to like him. Having those bright blue eyes trained on him, seeing them look up with rapt attention and full of curiosity was something he wanted to burn into his memory. It had been a long time since anyone had looked at Eskel like that.

When Jaskier told him he´d stay the witcher had not known if he should be elated or scared. This man, beautiful, kind, open minded, staying at his side. He enjoyed talking with him, spending time with him but he also knew there'd come a time Jaskier would get bored and leave. Wouldn't it be easier to refuse and never get attached?  
He looked at the bright blue eyes, at the easy smile and the way the bard interacted with his kid and realized it was too late already, he was attached.

That day under the stars, when they had sat close together and talked, Eskel had wanted to hug the bard, to pull him to his chest and never let go, tell him he was the best thing that had happened to him recently and kiss the bard breathless. But surely Jaskier wouldn´t welcome that. Surely those plush lips, smiling and singing, would turn into a frown should he ever voice his desire to kiss them.

And now they shared a room, just the two of them, well three of them. This was the first night they actually had a roof over their heads and could relax but instead of being able to talk, of watching Jaskier sing and enjoying his sweet voice for as long as he was allowed to, the alderman had rushed to the witcher as soon as they had entered the town. A vampire nest was nothing that could wait.

Eskel worried about his charge though, he couldn't carry her into the den of blood sucking monsters just like that but asking Jaskier to take her would surely be too much. Soon the bard would realize they both were not worth his time and walk away. The witcher hoped that day wouldn't come soon and would try everything to delay it.  
But still, he could not take his kid with him this time.

Eskel looked at the bard and the kid happily jumping around on the bed. Gnawing on his lip while warring with his conflicting feelings. He took a deep breath as if to speak several times but stopped before a sound could escape. 

In the end, his wishes didn't really matter. His kid needed the protection and if this was the last straw that made Jaskier walk away, Eskel knew the bard was a decent enough man to wait until the witcher had returned before he'd leave them. So he jumped and asked him.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I felt bad leaving y'all without the promised twist, so have 2 chapters in one day.   
> Now you'll have to wait a few days again for more goat dad content.   
> The little poem is from squeakerblue, who was so nice to help me.

Jaskier saw Eskel staring at them, worrying on his lip and oh, how did that make him want to kiss his witcher, make him forget his worries until those lips were bruised from kissing and not his own teeth. But that surely wouldn't be welcome, Eskel hadn't so much as shown an interest in him in that way so far. The almost hug under that stars surely had only been Jaskier´s imagination. So instead he decided to wait and allow his witcher to gather his thoughts. It was no hardship to wait and watch this broad shouldered man, noticing how soft his hair looked and that the dark circles under his eyes seemed to have receded.

"Vampires are dangerous, would you take care of her tonight?" Eskel gestured to the kid jumping on the bed, "If you don't want to perform, of course. I would never ask you not to play and earn coin, I can find another place for her…" Eskel stumbled over his words and rambled, something Jaskier had learned the witcher did when he was nervous. 

Jaskier walked closer to him and took a sword calloused hand. They didn't do this usually, Eskel often shied away from casual touches but Jaskier was a tactile man and he enjoyed to feel the warmth of Eskel on his skin. He admired the intensity of those golden eyes so close to his face and how it felt to hold Eskel´s hand. He squeezed it lightly and smiled at Eskel, "Breathe, dear heart. It's fine. I'll stay here and look after her. Do not fret and concentrate on the monsters. Your daughter would miss you terribly should you not return." he smirked, using the nickname he'd given the pet.   
The relief in Eskel's eyes made his stomach flutter and without thinking Jaskier pressed a kiss on the witcher's hand.   
Oh, this was risky, was he laying on too thick, being too forward? They'd traveled together for less than a month now but Jaskier knew he wanted Eskel to trust him and wanted to support the witcher where possible. 

Eskel blushed beautifully before he averted his face but didn't take his hand back from Jaskier's. "Thank you." he mumbled but didn't meet the bard's eyes. Jaskier decided to give him a break and after a short squeeze to the other´s hand he picked up the goat, who was currently trying to eat the bedding.   
"We'll have all the fun without your dad around, right?" The goat bleated at that and with a laugh Jaskier took her leg to wave it at Eskel, who couldn't stop a small smile from spreading on his face. 

Eskel left after preparing his potions and Jaskier settled down with lil' bleater on his bed, trying to entertain the goat, well, truth be told, he tried to keep her from eating his last good doublet instead of her actual dinner.   
Recently she had been refusing to eat anything actual nutritious besides apples and they had run out of those at lunch. The carrots in front of her were ignored in favor of leather and paper and fabric. 

Jaskier tried to write a new song, watching the goat walk through the room inspecting everything and tossed a crumpled up piece of paper through the room in exasperation, he would not rhyme goat with bloat and really, should he even write about her at all? She was a big part of Eskel´s life, that much was clear when you just looked at them but to make her a target for people who wished ill to her witcher that would be dangerous. Jaskier didn't even want to imagine how devastated Eskel would be to see his charge hurt or worse.

To his surprise lil beater decided the crumpled up ball of paper was the best toy in existence and happily pushed it around with her tiny hooves, looking around delighted when it made crinkly noises. He didn't even stop her when she tried to eat it, this drivel had much more use entertaining her than ever seeing the light of the day.

Jaskier laughed and wished he could save that moment for Eskel, he would have to tell him everything in detail.

Who was he kidding, he would write about Eskel and his beloved pet no matter what, but he would only play it for his witcher. Maybe he'd even get a smile out of him again. 

Little Bleater, Little Bleater  
She’s so cute, I could eat her 

What you got little goat   
A paper ball or tiny boat 

Little kids are not hills   
Use the hay to test your skills

Oh my dear, that’s not fair   
Please stop chewing on my hair!

There, funny and simple, something to entertain kids and hopefully witchers alike. 

Jaskier took the crumpled up paper that had gotten stuck under a shelf and threw it, smiling when lil´ beater jumped after it like a tiny cat with hooves. 

"What are we gonna do waiting for your dad, huh?" Jaskier crouched down next to her just to get his face licked enthusiastically.   
"Oh, to be so carefree again. I wish I wouldn't worry about him so much." He hugged the squirming goat. The truth was Vampires were dangerous and the alderman had not known how many Eskel would have to face, Jaskier was more than just a little worried he would never see his witcher again.   
But he understood it was just as important for Eskel to know his kid to be safe, he cared for her like he would for a human child in many ways but far be it from Jaskier to judge affections in any kind or way. So he had hoped to help his witcher by taking some of the weight from his shoulders and giving him one less thing to worry about.

After what felt like hours of playing the tiny goat slowly fell asleep and Jaskier waddled her up in a blanket. He hummed a lullaby under his breath, cradling her in his arms. She was just a goat but it was nice to have something warm and trusting so close, to know someone or something entrusted their whole safety and wellbeing to you.

Suddenly the blanket seemed to move, it's shape changed, worried the bard took a closer look. Where just a moment before a happily exhausted baby goat had been sleeping he could now see pink skin and soft tufts of hair peeking out of the blanket. In his arms was now a toddler, a human toddler. Red curls, chubby cheeks, spit bubbles on the mouth, hands twitching in sleep. The baby snuggled closer when it noticed the warmth of Jaskier´s chest and grabbed his shirt with surprising strength.  
What the ever loving gods? Jaskier thought, dumbfounded.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm bored so y'all get a new chapter.

Eskel came back from his hunt when it was more morning than night. Jaskier had barely managed to sleep, afraid to accidentally drop the kid in his arms. It hadn't helped that she had woken up several times and cried for food or attention.   
One time, Jaskier guessed it had been 3am, she changed back into a goat just to jump around but turned back into a tiny human, or almost human, her feet looked goat shaped still, to snuggle into his arms and promptly fell asleep, refusing to let go of his shirt.

That was what Eskel saw when he entered the room, armor bloody and dirty, hungry and tired but greeted with the sight of Jaskier humming a lullaby to a sleepy human toddler. The bard could see his witcher's face brighten, “Lilly…” he breathed, a smile playing on his lips, “... I missed you.” He took a step closer and watched the baby in awe as she suckled on her thumb. Only then did he seem to remember that he had left Jaskier with a baby goat and not a human kid. Wide golden eyes shot up at him and he started to stammer, “Well, you see, I guess you already saw though, uhm…” Eskel rubbed his neck, clearly lost for words. 

Jaskier had been able to gather his thoughts a bit more after the baby, named Lilly apparently, had changed back for the second time. The first time he´d seriously started to consider he was hallucinating but this wasn't something his brain would have ever come up with. Jaskier had then wondered if the red tint to her hair really was the same as the witcher´s they were waiting for and if he imagined that the shape of their eyes looked similar.  
The bard looked at the witcher frozen in the door. “Anything you want to tell me, darling?” Jaskier teased, hoping the still unfamiliar pet name would distract Eskel from his scattered thoughts.

It worked, in a way. Eskel blushed bright red and looked like a startled deer at him. Jaskier patted the place on the bed next to him, unwilling to move the sleeping bundle in his arms and the witcher climbed to the top of the bed after silently pulling off his dirty armor.   
Their shoulders, hips and knees bumped together as Eskel settled down next to them. Before the witcher could talk about the elephant, well, goat, in the room, Jaskier turned his head and mustered Eskel up and down. 

“Are you hurt? There was an awful lot of blood on your clothes.”  
Golden eyes that looked like molten lava burned into his soul when a warm hand took his, “I´m fine, thank you.”  
This must be the first time Eskel had consciously touched Jaskier and suddenly the bard was very aware of his own heartbeat and too loud breathing. “I thank you for taking care of her. Many would have run.” The witcher nodded at the sleeping baby who still had a death grip on Jaskier´s shirt. 

“What do you take me for, a common scoundrel? It needs more than a goat-turning-toddler, or is it toddler-turning-goat, to scare me away. You would at least have to add some really bad poetry and sour wine to the equation.” Jaskier tried to make light of the situation. Nothing had changed, had it? Not really. Eskel had worried about the goat as he would about a baby and it made so much more sense now. Jaskier had happily agreed to help him and enjoyed being trusted by this tiny being. The fact that this being would grow up and learn to talk made the deal more fun in his books. He wondered if her first words would be from one of his songs. 

Eskel chuckled but it sounded unsure and broken. The witcher was sitting next to him and most of their bodies touched but somehow he still felt far away, tense and anxious, watching the baby in Jaskier´s arms and the bard himself, clearly struggling for words. And Jaskier didn´t rightly know how to help him, he was taking this as much in stride as he could, if princes could be cursed into hedgehogs and back, sure a goat-turning-toddler wasn´t that unusual.

The witcher shuffled around, Jaskier had never seen him this uncomfortable in his skin, he didn't even notice that the scarred side of his face was closer to Jaskier, impossible to hide, something he still took care to hide in the shadows. He only stared at the sleeping baby with a wistful look on his face and back at Jaskier again. After a few more minutes like that the toddler snuffled in her sleep and Eskel seemed to break free of the trance that had taken him captive. 

“The story is this…” he started and rubbed his neck, making Jaskier´s body jostle slightly with the movement. “I didn't lie, she was entrusted to me. But not as a goat, she is usually more humanlike than she was the last week.”   
Eskel´s eyes met his again, looking for a reaction or reassurance Jaskier wasn't sure. He tried to look steady and calm while a myriad of questions wanted to escape.  
“She turns when she's scared, feels safer that was. I assume it has something to do with being able to run faster. And well, that she can climb and annoy people certainly endears the form more to her.” he chuckled, looking at her fondly. 

“And why can she?...”

“Turn? Or specifically turn into a goat?”  
Jaskier rolled his eyes, did that distinction really matter?   
“Both? None of it? Eskel, I don't have your vast magical knowledge, all I can assume is that she's been cursed in some way.” 

For some reason that thought scared him, who would curse a baby and how would that affect her? Would she grow up fine or have any lasting damage? He held the toddler closer, as if his body could shield her from things that must have happened long before the bard had ever met her.

“She's not cursed.” A warm, sword calloused hand was put on his knee, tentatively and slowly, Eskel watched his reaction as if Jaskier would bolt by that small show of compassion and care when it only made his chest feel warmer. “She is perfectly healthy and I thank you for worrying about her. She is, well, she's a succubus.” Eskel managed to wrangle out and looked pained naming it.

“Aren't they like sexy demons eating men?” Jaskier exclaimed, looking at the babe in shock. But the more he thought about it, the more he realized that surely even monsters did not spring from the earth fully grown. He couldn't imagine this tiny bundle ever being dangerous. Well not dangerous to anything else than his notebook and haircut.

“Forget the eating part, they only take some life force, most people don't even notice it unless they make a habit of visiting a succubus. Most are perfectly pleasant company.” Eskel told him and a small wistful smile played on his lips. Oh, how Jaskier wished this smile would be for him. But Eskel was clearly lost in a memory.   
“I met one last spring, very nice, very hospitable.

Jaskier waggled his eyebrows, “Just how hospitable exactly, my dear friend?” It made Eskel huff a laugh and Jaskier delighted in the way he could feel the laughter bubble up in the witcher´s chest, his own body vibrating with him.

“Let´s say it like that, we did not leave the house for a week and she was well sated. And then, this spring she suddenly accosted me. There I stood, looking forward to a repeat of that week but instead she gave me a small bundle. Didn't say a word and left me with a baby goat. When the goat turned into a crying baby that night I thought I'd faint.”

Jaskier laughed at the mental image. “But you didn't, you took care of her.” He whispered and brushed soft red hair away from the babies face just to turn around and do the same for Eskel. Golden eyes watched him intently, pupils blowing wider the longer his touch lingered. Jaskier's fingers trailed down the witcher's face and when he cupped Eskel´s cheek the witcher pushed into it, a relieved breath leaving his chest, and closed his eyes. 

"I'll do right by her. I won't fail this time." Eskel whispered. 

When the sun started to tickle Jaskier's nose he was still sitting on the bed, a baby on his lap and a witcher deep asleep on his shoulder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was the last of my backlog. So this time the next update will really take a few more days. 
> 
> We have several possibilities now. Should I add some drama or let this stay a fully feel good fic?  
> More silly goat adventures or more focus on the romance?   
> Anything particular you want our family to get up to?


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Lilly is a bit sick in this one but everything is fine.
> 
> This gave me a bit of trouble writing. Not only do I not want them to hurt, my tablet keyboard also broke and I wrote most of this in my phone, so I apologize for any typos.

Eskel had blushed brightly when they woke up and jumped from the bed as if he had been burned. Jaskier did not mention it and they left town, camping in the last days of summer, watching the sun set over the hills while Lilly jumped around as a tiny goat.

Eskel cleaned his sword, Lilly shouted at a fallen leave and everything was normal. Jaskier smiled at the picture they all painted and his heart ached, he wondered if his own childhood had ever been like this but doubted it, he just hoped Lilly would have a different upbringing, he'd certainly try to help to the best of his abilities as long as Eskel allowed for it. With a smile he took out his lute and played one of the songs the little toddler goat seemed to enjoy the most. 

When Jaskier woke the next morning it was not to Lilly chewing on his hair while Eskel prepared breakfast, no, the sun had not risen yet and the birds were still asleep. Instead Jaskier heard frantic muttering next to him and saw Eskel wrapped around a human toddler like he needed to bodily protect her. 

"Shh, it's okay, it's fine baby. You got this." the witcher whispered and rocked the toddler. When he noticed Jaskier was awake, golden eyes reflecting the first light of the day watched him full of panic.  
"She has a fever. She never had a fever. She doesn't get sick. What am I supposed to do?" Eskel seemed to talk to himself more than ask Jaskier any actual questions but the bard still decided his help might not be unwelcome. 

He stood up and gathered a water bottle and a towel. A hand on Lilly's head confirmed Eskel's statement, she really felt hotter than usual and seemed to sleep fitfully. The wet towel would hopefully cool her down. But when Jaskier tried to place it in her head, it woke her up instead. A wail worthy of a wraith shook the trees.  
Eskel frantically tried to soothe her but she wouldn't stop. When Jaskier tried to take her so Eskel could look for herbs that might help in the woods, the wailing got even louder, so Eskel directed him to some jar in one of his bags and explained to Jaskier how many leaves they'd need for tea. 

"I don't know if this will help but I've seen human mothers prepare it and thought it wouldn't hurt to have some." Eskel almost looked embarrassed but the wailing baby soon took his attention away from any discomfort he could have felt at admitting he had a full bag of baby stuff with him. 

The tea smelled like caraway and fennel and transported Jaskier back to his own childhood; his nanny would feed him something similar whenever he got sick.  
"It definitely won't hurt, " he smiled at Eskel, "you're doing a great job. If it's her tummy, this should help."

Eskel paled, "What if she ate something poisonous?" He started to check all the potion bottles and anything else a baby goat might have eaten that could have made her sick. Not an easy feat with a crying toddler in his arms. But nothing was amiss. Lilly cried like she was dying. Her face was red and she barely stopped long enough to take a breath before she resumed. 

The tea had steeped for a few minutes and with a bit of coaxing Lilly drank some of it and hiccuped a few times, seemingly calmer when Eskel and Jaskier both were close, or maybe it was the lullaby Jaskier hummed when he tried to feed her the tea or the tea itself. Jaskier was just happy she had stopped crying. But her head was still too warm and she was clearly in distress. There were no bodily signs besides a light fever that the toddler was sick, no bruises or swollen glands. Lilly just wouldn't stop crying.  
She was also not turning into a goat. 

Eskel looked up at the sky that showed the sun high up already and around, eyes pacing frantically, looking for a danger his body told him must be there, for why else would he be so nervous. "We can't travel or camp with her like this. We need to go to a town."  
Jaskier nodded and packed the bags while Eskel tried to soothe a whining toddler. 

The next town was small and unassuming. And for the first time Jaskier understood why Eskel preferred for Lilly to be in goat form around other humans. More than one person started whispering about witchers stealing children as soon as Eskel had walked past them. Jaskier wanted to shout at them what a good dad Eskel was, wanted to explain that this child had not been stolen, but he kept his tongue. The last thing they needed was even more attention if they wanted to find help and a room to stay in. 

Jaskier went into the tavern alone, not just to hide Eskel and the baby, but also to be able to hear what the tavernkeep would say. Lilly had started screaming rather spectacularly roughly 5 minutes ago and no rocking or humming would make her calm down. Eskel had looked near tears himself and huddled her close to him next to the stables, hoping the horses would distract her. They didn't. 

According to the tavernkeep, there was no healer in this town but they had one room with one bed left and Jaskier paid for it for a few days, hoping that'd be long enough for Lilly to get better. 

When he walked outside again it took him a moment to notice the silence. No screaming or whining. Eskel was surrounded by 3 women and looked deeply out of his wits. They all cooed at the baby in his arms, apparently unbothered that they were also cooing at a rather big witcher, one was even touching his shoulder without taking notice. 

"Oh, what a cutie. Eight months?" asked one, but before Eskel could answer, the second one added, "Teething, huh? Me Robby screamed like a pig for days. T'was horrible."  
"Honey, I tell you, and something they can bite on. Works like a charm. Well, unless you get a real charm but never trusted those mothers using magic on their kids." the third added.  
As Jaskier walked closer he noticed Eskel's finger was indeed currently gnawed on by a toddler and he had a small jar of honey in his hands. A red cheeked, not screaming toddler happily tried to dismember Eskel's thumb. The spit running down his finger seemed like a small price to pay for that. 

As Jaskier reached the small group, the three women looked at the two men and the baby and smiled. Eskel's dark rings under his eyes and exhaustion were obvious, neither his scars nor cat like eyes could distract from them anymore. "It'll be worth it." the first one said, the second added, when she saw Lilly grab Eskel's shirt and look at Jaskier with big eyes, "She's clearly happy with you."

Jaskier had never seen more beautiful people than these three women in that moment and vowed to write a whole barrage of songs about them one day. Eskel looked like he'd cry and the women left them with a smile. 

Jaskier led his witcher and their charge to the rented room, where Eskel made sure to have honey and a wooden dagger handle ready for Lilly to gnaw one. Not one with a blade attached, though the little menace would have surely enjoyed that as well. Her look of concentration as she tried to bite through the wood would have been adorable if not for the spit running over her chin and on Eskel's shirt. 

With a bit of maneuvering, Eskel, Jaskier and a toddler somehow all fit into one bed and Lilly grabbed Jaskier's shirt with a free hand. He could swear sometimes this baby had more than two arms. 

"Guess we're staying here for now." Jaskier smiled at Eskel who blushed at their proximity. The witcher was lying half under the bard in the small bed, their hips and chests pressed close together and Jaskier had wrapped one arm around Eskel and Lilly so he wouldn't fall off.  
With a yawn he snuggled closer and put his head on Eskel's shoulder. "You're the best pillow." Jaskier muttered bevor he fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I know nothing about teething babies, don't take my word if this works
> 
> PS: I'll probably add a few one shots soon for the sugar and spice tumblr prompt challenge. Those will be extra parts that play after the main story. So keep your eyes open for this to become a Series :D


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is likely the last chapter for this year, so I got y'all a small treat at the end of itr. I hope you enjoy it and wish you all happy holidays and stay safe.
> 
> PS: I got a new keyboard that resetted my autocorrect settings, so please tell me about any serious typos or straight up wrong words. It's likely the program replaced them and I meant something else.

Lilly had felt better two days later and the trio continued their way north. Jaskier was writing a song about three benevolent women helping those in need with wisdom and magic. It was a catchy tune and he hoped it'd sell well. If he was to spend the winter alone, he'd need the income. Oxenfurt had offered him a place to stay but no job after he had left them rather abruptly last year.  
Eskel turned quiet the further north they reached, apparently deep in thought and not in the mood to share them. Meanwhile Lilly was entirely unbothered by the worries of adults. In goat form once again she jumped through piles of red leaves and tried to eat as many nuts and mushrooms as she could find. Eskel and Jaskier had both developed a kind of sixth sense for when she was too quiet and ran to her, stopping her from eating yet another poisonous thing.

Her new tooth also made sure she tried to bite everything and anyone in human form as well, and every form in between, Jaskier had long since stopped wondering how she did it, being a toddler with goat legs, sometimes with horns, sometimes without, sometimes fully human but with goat eyes, he didn't know if Lilly couldn't control the transformation fully or if she enjoyed trying out different forms, but in all of them she had turned bitey. 

Many evenings Jaskier could watch a witcher polishing his sword with one hand while the other was being used as a chewing toy by a toddler. It was absolutely adorable and his chest ached at the thought of leaving them for a whole season. He didn't doubt Eskel would do well on his own, he would just miss them. A year ago Jaskier would have laughed and called anyone crazy who would have suggested he'd ever want a child or family and now he craved it with every fiber of his being. Taking care of a baby was exhausting but watching this tiny being grow up and learn, seeing her develop a personality was the most fascinating thing Jaskier had ever been allowed to witness.

For example when he met Lilly, as a goat still, she was easily scared and only trusted Eskel, she liked to explore but hated to wander out of sight. Now she climbed walls and belated happily when Eskel had to climb after her and showed a clear preference for rocky mountains over forests or meadows.  
In her toddler form she also smiled more and seemed to watch her surroundings with an understanding she had not shown just months ago. Her favorite lullaby from Jaskier had also changed, of all things she wanted to listen to "fishmongers daughter" the most. Eskel was horrified but had to admit it made her fall asleep faster than anything else. They just both hoped her first word wouldn't be anything questionable from the lyrics.

They were close to Oxenfurt when the first snow fell and Eskel huddled Lilly close to his chest at camp. When he noticed Jaskier shivering, he held up his blanket and all three of them were cocooned together. Jaskier melted into the warmth and let most of his weight lean on the witcher. He hummed a melody he was working on while Eskel stared at the fire with a serious expression. 

They had not agreed to meet again next spring, had not talked at all about what would happen after they separated, Jaskier didn't know if Eskel would even venture out to the path again. All he knew was that the witcher wanted to travel to the keep they were schooled at and spend the winter there with Lilly. If they would stay there until Lilly was older, if Eskel would leave her there and travel alone again, Jaskier didn't know. He felt his heart break at the prospect of not being able to see the tiny goat child again for years, of Eskel being all alone at night, with nobody around who would notice if he was sad or hurt. He'd miss this, miss them so much.

Eskel cleared his throat, "Jaskier…" he trailed off and stopped, watching the bard at his side and then the fire again, clearly struggling for words. Jaskier hummed at his side, showing he paid attention. Eskel tensed next to him and with a second, questioning humm Jaskier cuddled closer, enjoying the sturdy warmth, it seemed to shake the witcher out of whatever had paralyzed him.

"Jaskier, will you… do you want to, I mean I'd be happy if you, if you don't have any other obligations to fulfill, I know you're quite popular and busy." Jaskier took Eskel's hand and the witcher stopped babbling right away.  
"Eskel, are you asking me to accompany you both?" Jaskier felt his heart flutter in his chest and the blood rising to his face. Did this absolutely beautiful, awesome and kind man really want to spend the winter with him and introduce him to his family? Jaskier felt giddy and scared and delighted and excited all over. 

The witcher nodded at his question and murmured, "Yes, if you would like that." Eskel's face was bright red and he squeezed Jaskier's hand, the bard didn't think his witcher truly noticed he was holding onto him like he was a lifeline.

"I'd love nothing more!" Jaskier exclaimed but hushed himself immediately when Lilly started to stir at the noise. "Yes, I want to accompany you." he whispered once again and looked up at the witcher.  
Amber eyes watched him like he was a wonder to behold. Eskel's lips were parted slightly in surprise and it seemed he'd lost the thought of whatever he wanted to say. Jaskier smiled up at him brightly, the weightless feeling in his stomach returning full force. 

"If you think you won't start resenting me after months of having to listen to me writing new songs for the next season," the bard joked, hiding his worry his endless repetitions would truly annoy Eskel and make him decide he wanted the quiet more than Jaskier at his side.  
The witcher seemed startled at the mere suggestion, "I'd never think you're annoying." he whispered and averted his eyes, a blush spreading over his whole face.

Careful not to jostle Lilly, who was still peacefully sleeping in Eskel's arms, Jaskier turned around to face his witcher better. Eskel avoided looking into his eyes but the way he held his head and hunched his shoulders told Jaskier clearly he was embarrassed. Sometimes Eskel's eyes flicked to Jaskier's lips and his pupils widened when the bard licked over them.  
Well, here goes nothing, Jaskier thought and leaned closer, leaving Eskel plenty of time to stop him, to tell him he just wanted the help with Lilly and maybe a friend nearby and nothing more. But after all this time together, the cuddling and touches, the close bond they'd forged by caring for each other and a mutual charge, Jaskier was plenty sure Eskel liked him in a romantic way as well. But he also knew the witcher would never take the first step, too worried he might scare Jaskier away.

Eskel's eyes widened the closer Jaskier got but the witcher made no move to stop him. With one last move, Jaskier's lips met Eskel's gently. The witcher seemed to melt at the contact and leaned into Jaskier. The bard caressed his short brown hair with one hand and steadied Lilly with the other. Eskel's lips felt soft if slightly chapped and they both fit together like missing pieces of a puzzle. Eskel almost purred when Jaskier let his nails scratch slightly over his scalp and nibbled on Jaskier's lower lip. This man could kiss and Jaskier enjoyed it more than he had even imagined.

When they parted to take a breath, Eskel's pupils were blown so wide the amber of his eyes was barely visible anymore and Jaskier felt his heart beat a mile a minute. His witcher licked his lip slowly, as if he was savoring the taste Jaskier had left there and looked at the bard with a mix of surprise and longing. He wrapped a hand around the back of Jaskier's neck and kept them close together, their breath mingled between them in small puffs, "You're the second best thing I have ever met on the path." Eskel whispered and Jaskier wasn't insulted, he knew who the best thing was and couldn't agree more. With a bright smile he kissed Eskel once again, "Likewise, Mr. Goatdad." he joked and cuddled closer into Eskel's embrace. 

The witcher gave him a bright smile, uncaring about his scars or if it made him look menacing. It was one of the most beautiful smiles Jaskier had ever seen and his heart clenched painfully with all the love and tenderness he felt in that moment. He felt it deep in his bones, this was it, this was the love poets and bards talked about, the kind of love that you would never forget no matter what happened in your life. It was not passionate and burning, not a consuming love, it changed the way Jaskier perceived reality, his universe had a new center, at the heart of it stood now a witcher with a beautiful smile and a baby in his arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One or two more chapters and the main story will be finished, but fear not, I have already created the series for future prompts and snippets in Lilly's life. After all, her uncles will surely teach her many fun things.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy new year everyone! I hope you all had fun and stayed safe! 
> 
> The plan was to reach Kaer Morhen with this chapter but Lilly went "I'm baby" and demanded attention, so I guess KM comes up next. Chapter 9 is already halfway written, so it shouldn't take me too long to update again.

Jaskier woke up with a smile on his lips, it was cold and windy, a slight drizzle made his hair stick uncomfortably to his head but it was still the best day ever. He had kissed Eskel and his witcher had kissed him back. They'd spent the evening close together, touching and kissing, always careful not to jostle Lily or to go farther than they were comfortable with yet but it had brought them a new kind of understanding of each other. 

After a quick breakfast they packed camp and shared secret smiles whenever possible, Jaskier noticed Eskel watching him with a smitten expression and not hiding it whereas Eskel chuckled when Jaskier walked over to his witcher several times to give him a small kiss on the cheek or just touch his arm in between moments.   
Lilly on her part didn't seem to see anything out of the ordinary and had used the time her guardians spent making eyes at each other for jumping into a very wet pile of leaves.

Jaskier was ripped out of his musings over Eskel's warm eyes and smile, there was a song there, he just knew it, by a wailing toddler. This morning Lilly was jumping around on goat legs and with tiny stubby horns but a human torso, because she liked to take the leaves into her hands and rip them apart slowly. She'd just jumped into yet another leave pile when she started crying. Eskel was at her side faster than Jaskier could ever hope to be but he was right behind him. 

"Baby, what's wrong." Eskel whispered, trying to figure out if she'd hurt herself or just gotten spooked by a spider. The last time the spider she had wanted to play with had run away, Lilly had had a meltdown that would have woken the dead and Eskel had worried for a long time that she had gotten sick or hurt until the next spider had come along and the crying had stopped instantly. 

This time though she seemed to have gotten scratched, tiny pearls of blood bloomed on her hand, not enough to be dangerous but enough to have scared her. Jaskier gave Eskel a handkerchief to clean the wound while his witcher made calming noises and rocked Lilly in his arms. The toddler calmed down quickly and soon struggled out of Eskel's hold, clearly trying to get back into the pile of leaves that seemed to be moving now.

Jaskier looked at Eskel, who wasn't concerned at all, so it was no monster or anything dangerous. His witcher let the child to the ground where she walked on tiny goat legs, nobody knew why she could walk on two goat legs but still hadn't managed to walk on two human ones without falling, towards the pile, Jaskier followed, curious as well now. Out of the leaves walked a small hedgehog, Lilly tried to grab it but stopped at the last possible moment, seemingly remembering the reason her hand was currently wrapped in a handkerchief.

"Da! Da!" the toddler said, full of excitement, she had yet to learn any real words but was slowly getting there. Jaskier hoped she'd call Eskel "Dad" first and used the word as often as possible while Eskel was carrying her around. So far without any luck.   
Jaskier crouched down next to her and watched the small animal, "A hedgehog. Guess you woke him up." he tried to explain but doubted the toddler understood it. She watched the spiky creature with excitement and wonder, her tiny hands grabbing the air, wanting to touch but not daring to after the first experience.

"Did you know there's a tale about a prince who was cursed into a hedgehog because he was so prickly?"   
Jaskier turned around to Eskel, "Do curses like that exist? I can't remember the full story anymore."   
His witcher nodded, "People can get cursed into all kinds of things, animals are popular."  
Lilly pulled at Jaskier's arm, obviously feeling ignored by the short exchange. Jaskier smiled down at her, "Let's just hope you didn't accidentally enter a blood bond with a cursed king of some backwater country. We should leave the hedgehog alone so he can go back to sleep, yes?" The toddler, satisfied to be the center of attention again, let herself be led away from her new friend and Eskel packed the rest of the camp while Jaskier played Lilly's favorite song to keep her entertained. 

Unfortunately the favorite song had not changed for several weeks, she still refused to fall asleep or listen to anything else than "A fishmonger´s daughter", both Eskel and Jaskier had long since gotten sick of the tune and the words had lost their meaning after three days. 

"Lest your grandkid be born a hairy young faun  
Bleating and braying all day, hey ho  
The fishmonger's daughter, ba ba  
For 'tis naught, but bad luck to fuck with a puck." 

Sometimes the bard wondered if the child understood the words, if she liked the song so much because it involved bleating and kids with goat legs, but then she clapped happily at every "fuck" and Jaskier thought she just liked it because Eskel had been absolutely scandalized she'd done that the first time. She probably just enjoyed his reaction and the light hearted tune.

Currently she was happily singing "ba, ba" along and swaying to the tune, Jaskier played mechanically, he cursed the day he'd ever written this song. They'd tried to change the lyrics, to make them more child friendly or simply just less repetitive but Lilly refused to hear anything else but the original, pouting and crying when Jaskier tried to play her anything else.

Eskel had finished packing all their belonging and approached them, a pinched expression on his face when his child squealed at yet another "fuck".  
"Lambert will give me so much shit for this." his witcher murmured and Jaskier raised his head, "Lambert?"

"My brother, one of them, curses like a sailor and has the temper of a stray cat."

"And the others?"

Eskel seemed to think for a moment, hoisting Lilly up and giving Jaskier his bags, "There's Geralt, quiet guy, very serious and then there's Vesemir, he trained us all, a strict teacher but with a kind heart, don't tell him I said that, he'd let me train extra hard this winter." 

Jaskier watched his witcher attentively, Eskel hadn't talked much about the place he'd grown up at and Jaskier had quite frankly no clue what he had agreed on when he said he'd spend the winter with Eskel there. All he knew was that any place, no matter how cold, would be worth it with Eskel at his side.

"Geralt trained with me together. We're the same age, went through the trials together..." Jaskier really wanted to ask more about those famed trials but had gathered enough from Eskel's frequent nightmares and the way his expression turned fully neutral whenever they were mentioned that he'd never ask. If Eskel didn't offer the information freely, Jaskier would just not know about them, it was probably for the best, he didn't want to listen to tales of how Eskel was tortured as a kid.   
The bard looked at Lilly and thought about anyone wanting to hurt her. A sudden wave of never known protectiveness welled up in his chest.

Eskel continued after a moment, clearly skipping some parts of his story but it seemed he wanted to share the very basics at least with Jaskier before they arrived at his home. It wouldn't do for Jaskier not to know anything about the inhabitants at least.   
"Vesemir always said Geralt and me could have been brothers by blood and would not have been closer." Eskel chuckled and Jaskier felt warmth in his chest, not everything had been bad in his witcher's childhood.

"Vesemir himself was our tutor, sword training mostly, still is to a degree. Makes us run around and repair the keep but also makes sure our armor and weapons are cared for before we go out on the path again and that we're well fed."

"Lambert is, well, Lambert, short tempered and prickly but overall a good guy. Refuses to admit that though, he's the youngest of us all and never truly felt part of the family, I think." Eskel seemed to talk to himself as much as to Jaskier at that point, mind lost in memories while they walked steadily onward. Lilly had fallen asleep in his arms

Suddenly Jaskier felt nervous, it had been a very long time since a lover had last introduced him to their family and now Eskel would turn up unannounced not only with a child but also a partner in tow. What if they didn't like him, what if Geralt, who was apparently the closest person to Eskel, disliked Jaskier? Would their still new relationship survive the disapproval of Eskel's family?

Eskel watched him, Jaskier supposed his witcher could hear his elevated heartbeat, and the bard smiled at him reassuringly, or so he hoped, "No worries love, I'm just a tad nervous." His witcher offered him a hand, the one who was not carrying Lilly and Jaskier took it without hesitation. Eskel always made him feel grounded, like an anchor to the world, to those parts in it that were truly important.

"They'll love you." Eskel said quietly, "it's impossible not to adore you."  
Jaskier felt his breath hitch as he saw the pure adoration in those amber eyes. How could he ever have doubted Eskel? Everything would be fine, maybe the path would be rocky but in the end they would prevail, the small family he'd found by accident and was part of by choice.

"I love you." Jaskier said, suddenly not nervous about it being too early, too fast or forward. 

Eskel's smile was blinding, his lips were turned a bit sideways by his scars but he didn't care and his eyes looked as bright as the sun, "I love you too." They squeezed their hands together and managed to share a small kiss in the middle of the road before Lilly started to move, unhappy to be squished between them.  
Eskel laughed and put her into the bag he'd carried her in when Jaskier had first met them. The half goat half toddler child barely fit into it anymore, soon they'd have to use something else to carry her around. What a good thing her dad had such strong arms, Jaskier thought with a smile and an appreciative squeeze to Eskel's arm.


	10. Chapter 10

The walk to the small village at the foot of the blue mountains took them all day, they were a bit slower than strictly necessary because Lilly wanted to explore the world and Jaskier wanted to explore Eskel's mouth in the few moments they got together.  
They reached the village just after sunset. The villagers seemed surprised to see Eskel but not in the way most villages acted to see a witcher, more in a "Shit Eskel, you're early, what brings you here?" way. The son of the blacksmith greeted the witcher with a hearty hug and then led him to the store, apparently excited to show his new creations to a witcher.

In the evening Eskel explained to Jaskier in hushed voices, Lilly was asleep, that this town had been at the foot of the witcher keep since they'd built it, the people traded and lived with witchers together for so long that most superstitions had been lost to time. They appreciated the higher demand in weapons and armor as well as the lack of monsters in their woods, thanks to Eskel and his family being around for several months every year.  
The bard smiled at him, they'd even gotten a small bed for Lilly, who had looked mostly human when they'd rented the room in the inn but was curled up in the blankets as a goat now.

When the innkeep asked if Eskel wanted a room with one or two adult beds he'd blushed brightly and looked at Jaskier, who'd blushed just as much. The innkeep had just smirked and "suddenly remembered" that they only had one room left, with a double bed. The many dangling keys at her back clearly showed her statement a lie but neither Eskel nor Jaskier complained.  
Happy about the arrangement, they were lying on their backs next to each other right now, talking quietly.

Jaskier turned around and gently put his head on Eskel's shoulder, his witcher wrapped a strong arm around his waist and pulled him closer with a sigh. He snuggled his face into the nape of Eskel's neck and kissed him there before Eskel turned around to capture the bard's lips with his own. Their bodies gravitated towards each other without conscious thought and soon Jaskier could feel Eskel pressed against the whole length of his witcher's body. The kiss deepened and Jaskier tried not to make a sound so they wouldn't wake Lilly. He wanted to enjoy this easy closeness for as long as he was allowed to.

The next morning Jaskier felt deliciously tousled in all the right places and his lips looked slightly bruised, Eskel looked like the cat that had gotten the cream but absolutely no sleep and the innkeep winked at them when they said their goodbyes. Jaskier vowed he'd sent her a bouquet of flowers once spring returned them.

The trek up the mountain was arduous but not as hard as Jaskier had feared. Lilly had gotten a bigger saddle bag and was entertained plenty by having Eskel swing her around in it. Sometimes she also stood on the back of the donkey they'd acquired for additional ration, climbing up the calm animal in goat form, and bleated at the world, delighted to hear how far her voice carried. Jaskier felt a tiny bit proud to see his child train her voice like that, because even if he wasn't really her guardian, hadn't talked about it with Eskel, he didn't want to miss one moment of her growing up and if that wasn't parental feelings, he didn't know what was. 

Eskel seemed more relaxed, lighter, the closer they got to the keep. Jaskier wondered what his home would be like. Eskel had already warned him that they might be alone for a few days, early as they were in the year. But everything else?  
Nothing could have prepared him for the sight that was the keep. Magnificent like a dragon perched on a castle tower sat the fortress on the blue mountains, halfway to the top.  
"It's magnificent." Jaskier breathed and saw Eskel blush. He took his witchers hand and smiled at him, "We're home."  
Eskel smiled back brilliantly and cupped Jaskier's cheek, "We are home." He kissed him like it was their first and last time. Jaskier could barely catch his breath, feeling light headed, if from the lack of air or the onslaught of emotions, he didn't know.

The keep was indeed empty and barren when they entered, the gate closed and neither man nor mouse around. Well, that wasn't true, there were plenty of mice, as Lilly learned when she climbed up into the attic of a shed. Eskel explained that the witchers usually left their goats, at least the ones not turning into children, he booped Lilly's nose with a smile, in a clearing a bit to the west. It was relatively safe for them to stay there for several weeks when all witchers were on the path but Vesemir would come back regularly to check on them.

Eskel showed Lilly the room she'd share with him and Jaskier felt sad to know he'd not sleep with them anymore. To his delight Eskel put down all of their bags in the room, asked Jaskier what kind of bedding he wanted and that was it, no extra room for newcomer bards, only one big room for them together. Eskel got a tight hug and long kiss for it, as long as Lilly allowed them to be distracted, trying to climb into the chimney with her guardians otherwise occupied.

Jaskier laughed when he held the sooty half goat in his arms, "What are you? A fire demon?" Lilly cooed and grabbed with her little hands for Jaskier's face. Those golden eyes, almost like her father's just slitted vertical, would always get to him. This child could demand everything, even for Jaskier to get ash and soot all over his face and clothes.  
He pulled her closer and turned around in a fast circle to make her giggle. Lilly held his face as if she was afraid to fall, getting ash and year old soot smeared all over Jaskier's face. Eskel almost doubled over when he saw them like that, holding his belly from laughter and Jaskier would have made himself look ridiculous any time again for that reaction.

A few days later Jaskier woke up in Eskel's arms, the other witchers would come soon and they still had to prepare a lot in the keep for winter. Especially with work going slowly, Lilly always had to have one of them close to her, she tried to jump over cracks in the stairs or scale the walls way too recklessly if left unattended. But this morning Jaskier felt lazy, Lilly was still asleep and Eskel indulged him, caressing Jaskier's hair.

"What happens in spring?" Jaskier asked, no longer doubting they'd spend it together but he couldn't really imagine staying cooped up in this keep for years. He was made to sing and compose, to see people. Eskel looked at him with hooded eyes. "We can stay here. Or.." he looked at Jaskier once again, more awake now, "I remember you telling me you had a place in Oxenfurt? We could travel around, there's plenty of monsters at the coast, and you could teach? We'd be able to see each other quite often."

"And Lilly? You can't take her with you once she starts getting bigger. Do you plan on leaving her behind?!" Jaskier's voice got louder, not by much, months of sleeping in the same room as a toddler had taught him to be quiet, but he was horrified to imagine Lilly being left all alone with a man Jaskier had yet to meet. And he was equally as horrified to imagine her getting lost in the woods once again, like the day he found her, with Eskel knocked out.  
Eskel looked at him, eyes wide, "I hadn't even… no, you're right, I'd never leave her alone here." His witcher deflated, "No other choice than staying here. Will you visit?" Eskel's voice was small and quiet, unsure and vulnerable, and Jaskier wanted to hug him even tighter than he already was.

"If you think you're getting rid of me for even one month, you're very mistaken. You said yourself there's plenty of monsters around Oxenfurt and I know I can get my place back to teach music and my flat is easily big enough for three. You wouldn't even have to take contracts you didn't like."  
Eskel looked at him, "You'd want to?...Live together with us?"  
"I love you, Eskel. And I love Lilly. You're only getting rid of me if you literally throw me out a window."  
Eskel kissed him deeply, pulling Jaskier even closer than he already was. They were lying like that for a while until the sun was high enough up to wake the little menace that they called their daughter. 

Jaskier couldn't wait for all the things that would come for them.  
For all of them together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it folks! We're done with the main story.  
> but fret you not, I plan on several one shots about Lilly meeting the other witchers and growing up after I take a short break. So please keep an eye on the series as a whole.  
> Thank you all for reading! I'm so happy so many of you enjoyed this story.


End file.
